White House policy takes on campus sexual violence

SiobhÃ¡n O'Grady

Published 8:34 pm, Tuesday, April 29, 2014

WASHINGTON -- Colleges and universities grappling with sexual violence -- including those in Connecticut and California -- will feel the impact of a White House initiative that included the rollout Tuesday of notalone.gov, a website providing information on responding to and preventing sexual violence on campus.

The website is part of the Obama administration's response to a rising tide of accusations that American colleges and universities are not doing enough to protect students from sexual assault. It comes a day after the release of a report by the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault, which offered guidelines for how to protect victims while halting the spread of sexual violence nationwide.

Like some other American institutions, the University of Connecticut is facing a federal lawsuit for what plaintiffs call "indifference" in the handling of allegations of sexual assault on campus.

UConn and the University of California at Berkeley are two of several American universities under investigation for gender-based discrimination and violation of Title IX, which guarantees equal educational opportunities for women.

Suggestions in Monday's White House report included surveying students on campus climate to identify complaints, implementing bystander intervention programs, improving response to student grievances, and increasing transparency in the judicial process. The report also said that according to a nationwide study, one in five female students will experience some form of sexual assault on their college campus before graduating.

In a speech at the White House on Tuesday, Vice President Joe Biden called these numbers unacceptable, and said it is every American's duty to protect women from sexual violence.

"These just aren't numbers,'' Biden said. "These are our friends, these are our daughters, these are our neighbors, these are your classmates.''

"Fighting all forms of sexual violence on our campuses is among UConn's top priorities, and we believe this collaborative approach between the federal government and higher education institutions is incredibly valuable," Conklin said in an emailed statement.

UConn has already taken some measures to improve transparency in its sexual assault policies and make resources more accessible to students. A survivor support group and 24-hour campus hotline offer confidential resources for students who are victims of sexual violence. The university also launched a sexual violence resource website in January 2013 to group all information regarding sexual assault into a single easy-access location online.

Conklin said as they look to further improve their response to sexual violence on campus, they hope to continue connecting with other colleges and universities that have found success in programs implemented on other American campuses.

"While we welcome the chance to participate in this important national conversation, we particularly look forward to exchanging information with other institutions about their most effective policies, practices, and resources," Conklin said. "We can learn from one another and help ensure that we continue to adopt and adhere to national best practices in addressing this critical issue."

The University of California system has received national attention in the past year for complaints filed by students who claimed the Berkeley campus failed to take action in dozens of cases of sexual assault. Thirty-one current and former students filed two federal complaints against the university in February for what they say was a mishandling of cases of sexual violence on campus.

Janet Napolitano, president of the University of California system, said Tuesday that the UC system is undergoing an internal investigation into ways they can better address the problem of sexual assault on all of its campuses, but they have already implemented all of the suggestions outlined in Monday's report.

"The University of California has no tolerance for sexual violence and already has implemented the key recommendations set forth in the White House task force report released today,'' she said in a statement. "This does not mean that our work at UC is complete. We hold ourselves to the highest standards and will continue to ensure that all of our campuses, medical centers and labs maintain a culture of respect and inclusion.''

According to Napolitano, the UC system recently completed an anonymous system-wide campus climate survey to identify areas that need improvement and is currently training victim advocates. They have also held anti-sexual violence awareness campaigns and implemented strict confidentiality protocols.

Napolitano added that like other American universities forced to reexamine their sexual assault policies, the UC system is taking seriously the complaints filed against them and is making efforts to ensure every campus is taking measures to prevent sexual violence, protect victims, and appropriately charge perpetrators.

"We will continue to review and improve our efforts to make sure UC is a place where all students, faculty, and staff are safe,'' Napolitano said.